Being annoying is not a crime: let the freshmen be

I was scrolling Yik Yak the other night for my usual petty drama debrief when I noticed something that’s been hard to ignore lately: people have a lot to say about the freshmen. And not in a good way.

“The freshmen this year are not it.” I’ve seen that exact phrase more than once — and I’ve heard the same sentiment in dining halls, the library, and even during casual conversations. Everyone seems eager to share what the freshmen are doing wrong. They’re too loud. They’re always lost. They stomp around in the residence halls like they’ve never heard of walking quietly.

Honestly? Some of that might be true. But so what?

We’ve all been there. Every single one of us had a learning curve when we got here. I remember the scary, exciting transition to living on my own. I left cups, books and electronics in common areas. I forgot laundry in the machine and came back to find my wet sheets sitting on a table. I lost my keys more than once. But guess what? I learned. I started setting alarms. I kept my things with me. I paid more attention to how my behavior affected the people around me.

That’s what freshman year is for…figuring it out.

It’s not a crime to be annoying. It’s part of growing up. Being a little too loud in the library or walking into the wrong building doesn’t mean someone is a bad person or a bad student. It means they’re new, and new people make mistakes. That’s how they learn, just like we did.

At some point, we have to remember we won’t be here forever. The freshmen we complain about now are the ones who will be running clubs, mentoring younger students and leading campus life after we’re gone. Whether we like it or not, they’ll be the ones filling our shoes. And how we treat them now sets the tone for the kind of community we leave behind.

So I’m not saying we need to ignore every little thing. But maybe, instead of making fun of them, we offer a little patience. Maybe we show them what respect looks like. Maybe we stop pretending we didn’t once do the exact same things.

We all had people who helped us grow. It’s our turn to be those people.